Ownership Verified: Nation Building: My government-issue Toyota Hilux SR 4x4

This thing has shit brakes. I ran up the back of someone yesterday after some plonker in a Cruze decided to randomly pull a U-turn in front of oncoming traffic on a busy road at peak hour. The guy in front hit the brakes, I did too, attempted to swerve to miss him but locked up and not being used to no ABS, didn't have the reactions to stop it. The thing just really doesn't pull up with any sort of urgency, and that's pretty much unladen. I can't imagine what it would be like having to emergency brake if you had it loaded up and a trailer even to GCM. You'd just plough straight on.

Anyway, thankfully the stupid thing managed to wipe off enough speed by the time the inevitable happened, and the other car, an old Hyundai S-Coupe, suffered no damage. And of course with the bull bar, I didn't either. So I got off lucky, but I really need to learn to work with non-ABS brakes, and really leave colossal gaps between me and the car in front.

Oh, and of course the guy in the Cruze just fucked off after he completed his manoeuvre.
 
They don't have ABS?


I thought all cars had ABS these days.
 
Perhaps some better pads would be of service?
 
The US version of this got ABS around the turn of the century. Also, the brakes were more than acceptable - perhaps you need to check the braking system for faults or substandard components installed by the prior owning entity? Governments are notorious for skimping on parts for their non-emergency fleets.

Further, non-ABS vehicles can stop shorter than ABS equipped ones. ABS was never intended to help vehicles stop faster.
 
Spectre said:
The US version of this got ABS around the turn of the century. Also, the brakes were more than acceptable - perhaps you need to check the braking system for faults or substandard components installed by the prior owning entity? Governments are notorious for skimping on parts for their non-emergency fleets.

Further, non-ABS vehicles can stop shorter than ABS equipped ones. ABS was never intended to help vehicles stop faster.
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Toyota and their cost cutting meant that you had to buy a top spec Hilux in Australia to get ABS until about 2008.

I know ABS doesn't necessarily shorten braking distances. Hence why I said it was my reactions that weren't used to emergency braking with non-ABS. However the thing has very small brakes - smaller than my Renault, and this thing weighs twice as much. It's well known that Hiluxes have poor brakes here. One of the common mods is a double diaphragm booster, which I'll look into.
 
Hbriz said:
Toyota and their cost cutting meant that you had to buy a top spec Hilux in Australia to get ABS until about 2008.
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That's pretty crappy. Just checked here; by 2000 ABS was optional but offered on all but the most base model and by 2003 it was standard equipment on every Tacoma.

I know ABS doesn't necessarily shorten braking distances. Hence why I said it was my reactions that weren't used to emergency braking with non-ABS. However the thing has very small brakes - smaller than my Renault, and this thing weighs twice as much. It's well known that Hiluxes have poor brakes here. One of the common mods is a double diaphragm booster, which I'll look into.
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I *think* we got that booster stock over here. Leastways, the Tacoma was considered to have average/mediocre braking over here, with the same size rotors (~12" IIRC). Full stops from 60 in an unladen 06 Tacoma take 125 feet per Edmunds. 70mph in a version similar to yours took over 180 feet, but that's low-mid-pack performance. Vagueness, poor brake feel/lack of feedback are known issues with it, though.

Link worth reading: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...ng-term-road-test-baubles-and-bolt-ons-page-4

Personally, I would check to make sure I didn't have crap tires and then go ahead and rip out the stock Toyota rotors and pads in favor of EBC units.
 
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Thanks for that. I'll look into it. My dad has a 2014 one and the brakes are like night and day, they're much bigger and the pedal is actually firm in the new one.
 
I put flares on the front arches now so it actually matches the rear. I don't have a picture because lazy, but soon. I also just bought a 2 inch lift kit on the Internet. This would be good if I actually had time to take it off road these days. But build it and they will come, I suppose.

I also saw someone with a late model white SR5 tub sitting in their yard on some pallets, I'm going to go make an offer for it. I sold the pair of taillights I got with the new tub I bought. As a result the whole thing only cost me $40 now :lol:
 
I already have a trailer I never use so I really shouldn't add to the collection :lol:

It would be cool to get out to Nowra way some time, finding the time is the hardest part. We went out to Conjola State Forest over Easter with a couple of mates, found some fun tracks for a good half day wheeling. My idea of fun is probably pretty tame though :lol:
 
Hbriz said:
I already have a trailer I never use so I really shouldn't add to the collection :lol:

It would be cool to get out to Nowra way some time, finding the time is the hardest part. We went out to Conjola State Forest over Easter with a couple of mates, found some fun tracks for a good half day wheeling. My idea of fun is probably pretty tame though :lol:
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No I love Conjola State forest, There are some good tracks around the Sussex inlet entrance road that offer a variety of challenges,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPv4dqXibKw
 
Well, the time finally came. The lift kit has been installed.



It is the best $920 I have spent. It looks so much better, now the front and the rear wheel gap is pretty equal. I think it is a bit too high in the front now compared to the rear but I expect the suspension to settle a bit over time, so I'm not too concerned. It also rides so much better than the original 240,000km old shocks and springs.

It's a Bilstein off road shock absorber with a King Springs heavy duty extra raised spring. So far I am extremely happy, it even seems to corner better than it did before and it is nowhere near as upset by bumps. I might have to do the back end too now after this improvement.
 
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Another odometer rollover update, from last week. I've now done over 20,000km since I bought this car a bit under 10 months ago, all trouble free. As one would expect from a Hilux, I suppose. It's a good car and I like it but it uses too much fuel. I'm driving a lot more for work now and petrol is 50% more expensive than it was a few months ago so it's not been fun on the ol' budget.



I'm getting better at threading it into small spaces now.


"Soon..."
 
The stereo shat itself last night. It had been playing up for a while, talking a while to turn on and sometimes freezing. Last night all was normal, until I shifted into reverse. It went to bring up the rear view camera, came up with "no signal" instaid and then got itself stuck in a weird fading loop between the radio screen and the "no signal" window. Turned it off and on again, and it was just a blank white screen, and some coloured lines would drop down from the top.

Did a hard reset this morning and it worked fine for a couple of minutes, but died again. It's only 10 months old so it's back at the shop for warranty now and I'm rocking my old Toyota driver friendly big button radio again.
 
Well, the mileage has slowed right down, and 250,000 rolled over the other day. With that came a service, and it being put up for sale.



We'll see how much I can get for it in the end, I'm in no hurry to sell but since I'm driving the Renault every day this doesn't get used enough to justify keeping it around.
 
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